Bunnies, Sheep and Dreams
by IntertwinedRoses
Summary: Rukia's having trouble sleeping. When she asks Ichigo on tips to help her fall asleep, he recommends counting sheep. RukiaxIchigo. Fluff.


**Disclaimer:** Bleach does not belong to me. I am in no way associated with the author, creator, or characters.

(If I were, Ichigo and Rukia would be happily eloped and fighting hollows while Orihime eats dust :PP)

**A/N:** Welcome back! So this time I've decided to do a Bleach Fanfic.

I wasn't too sure as to what kind of idea to start of with, so this kinda just popped out.

I'll probably update it and add more details ... soon (;

Ichigo x Rukia FTW! :D

Please R&R!

* * *

"Rukia? You here?"

15 year old Ichigo Kurosaki called out to his fellow soul reaper as he slipped off his shoes and trampled up the stairs. He shrugged upon hearing no answer and wandered to his bed, dropping his bag on his chair.

_What a day,_ he thought tiredly as he yawned, laying back on his bed with both hands behind his neck and staring at the ceiling absentmindedly.

The whole day had been jam-packed with hollows springing out of nowhere and Rukia having to force Ichigo out of his human body several times during class to fight the stupid devils.

_Where is she, anyway?_ He wondered sleepily, blinking his amber orbs in a failed attempt to remain awake. As his eyes drifted, he spotted a white piece of paper with black inscriptions sitting on his writing desk that had previously not been there. Ichigo closed his eyes and opened them again, assuming that it was only his imagination, but then found that the paper was still lying on his desk.

With a groan, Ichigo sat up from his comfy bed regretfully, stretching his taut and tired muscles before paddling to his table.

Reaching for the paper, he tugged the edge and began to read the script.

_What the hell?_ Scratching his head, Ichigo gave a sigh of resignation and grunted.

Seriously, Rukia's pictures were _impossible_ to understand!

? … _Soul Society_ …? …_ Details_…?

"Ugh!" with a frustrated huff, the substitute Shinigami threw down the paper and fell back onto his bed, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Geez Rukia," he grumbled. His father and sisters had gone to pick up some groceries, and Rukia had told him she would be busy filling out a report for the captain that morning. Ichigo closed his eyes again and let himself float off into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Oi! Strawberry! Wake up!"

Ichigo groaned and rolled to his side, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Oof," there was a muffled wince from underneath him and he opened his eyes slightly, only to discover Rukia squashed under him and struggling to push him off of her.

"Midget. What're ya doin'?" he mumbled, still only half-awake as the poor small Shinigami finally succeeded in breaking free from his weight.

With a loud "argrh," Ichigo toppled over his bed and fell flat on his stomach.

"Oww! What was that for?" he complained, now fully alert, as he rubbed his bruised abdomen.

"For sitting on me, Strawberry!" she snarled, glaring at him.

"It wasn't my fault! I was sleeping when you decided to wake me," Ichigo protested, scratching his mane of fiery orange locks and yawning before standing up and moving his head from side to side, grimacing when he heard a loud _crack_.

"Where were you, anyway?" he asked.

Rukia rolled her eyes and frowned. "Didn't you read my letter?"

"Can _anyone_ read your horrible drawings?" Ichigo retorted, sitting back on his bed.

"They aren't horrible," she snapped angrily.

"Sure, sure. So where were you?" he repeated.

"Soul Society," she replied with a shrug. "The report, remember?"

"Oh," Ichigo yawned again and flopped down on his back, once again staring at the ceiling.

"Look, Ichigo! I bought a Chappy doll!" Rukia suddenly exclaimed.

He turned his gaze towards her and immediately scowled at the sight of the familiar _rabbit _the female Shinigami was so obsessed with.

"What's so good about rabbits?" he muttered.

"They're cute," she retorted, violet eyes daring him to contract her.

"Alright. Whatever you say, Midget," Ichigo smirked.

"Don't call me a _Midget_," Rukia glared at him furiously.

Determined not to lead the conversation into another full-blown argument (he was _way_ too tired to fight with her about _rabbits_), he simply rolled his eyes and settled on simply staring at the short Shinigami.

Short and petite, Rukia had light, pale skin and fierce lavender eyes. Her hair was neck-length black with a single strand cutting across her face. Wearing her 'human' clothes, she held a large, stuffed animal in her arms.

"What?" she said when she noticed him appraising her appearance. Usually oblivious to girls, Ichigo scratched his head and changed the subject quickly.

"What's with all the hollows today?" he asked hastily.

Rukia shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know, but it can't be good."

"Oh." Ichigo glanced at the clock standing on his writing desk and frowned.

Half past seven. Great. And he still had heaps of _homework_ to get through.

_Might as well do it later,_ he thought lazily. Picking up his favourite manga, he began to read silently.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow when he realized Rukia was still watching him with an intense look in her violet eyes.

"Do all humans sleep at night?" she asked abruptly.

Ichigo put down his comic slowly and shot her a questioning glance.

"Uh … yeah …," he answered confusedly.

"How do you sleep so quickly?"

"Uh … I don't know … when I'm tired, I rest, I guess," Ichigo replied, furrowing his eyebrows. What had brought all _this _on? "Why?"

"What can you do to make yourself sleep when you want to?" Rukia inquired, ignoring his question, still standing and holding the fluffy bear-thing.

"Uh …," he racked his brain to find something useful. "Counting sheep?"

"_Scheep_? What are _scheep_?" she tried.

Ichigo suppressed a laugh at Rukia's effort to repeat the word.

"_Sheep_," he stressed, "are white, fluffy animals, like your little rabbit dude there," he pointed to her Chappy.

"_Bunny_," she corrected.

"Rabbit, bunny, same thing."

"They are _not_ the same thing!"

"Okay, okay," Ichigo put his hands up in surrender and rubbed his neck.

"Does counting these … _scheep_ help?" she asked, eyes wide with curiosity as she sat down in front of him, hugging her doll.

Ichigo flashed a rare grin as he recalled her posture similar to that of an infant, ready and eager to listen to fairytales.

"To some people," he replied.

"Where can I find them?" Rukia wondered, tugging at his shirt insistently.

"You count them in your head," Ichigo explained.

"But I don't have any _scheep_ creatures in my head," Rukia frowned.

"You imagine them," he answered, snickering slightly.

"How do they look like?" she asked.

"Uh …," Ichigo scrambled. "Here."

He grabbed a loose piece of white paper from his bag and hurriedly drew a somewhat-resembling picture of a sheep.

"_That's_ a _scheep_?" Rukia examined the picture and grimaced. "How will counting these creatures help a human sleep?"

"I actually don't know. I've never tried it before," Ichigo said thoughtfully, setting down his pen.

"What ugly monsters," she commented.

"They aren't – wha – hey!" Ichigo scowled. "My drawing isn't _that_ bad. At least I can draw a decent bear."

Rukia glared at him and snatched the paper from him. "My drawings are superior to yours," she taunted.

Ichigo frowned but bit back a stinging retort. "Why are you asking about this, anyhow?"

Rukia's eyebrows knitted as she frowned. "I don't know … I guess I was having trouble sleeping and I just wanted to ask for some ideas that would help," she sighed.

"Why aren't you sleeping well?" Ichigo asked, slightly concerned.

"Nightmares," Rukia murmured.

"Oh." Unable to think of anything comforting to say, he stammered, "Maybe it would help if you think happy thoughts, like an old memory or something nice."

"Old memory?" Rukia echoed pensively. "I don't know … I don't remember much from before I was adopted by Byakuya-nii-sama."

Ichigo studied the proud Shinigami as she muttered to herself.

"Maybe," he hesitated, wondering if he was saying the right thing, "Maybe you don't have to think about _old_ memories … not necessarily. You could think about new memories, the ones you made with us, with Orihime and the others."

"New memories," Rukia mumbled, half to herself.

Ichigo watched as the female soul reaper pondered that thought.

"Ichigo …," she paused, and that was the first time he had seen her looking so unsure of her own actions.

He half-smiled encouragingly and nodded. "Mhmm?"

"Would it – would it be okay … if I slept with you tonight?"

Ichigo froze. _What?_

Rukia shook her head quickly when she saw his shocked expression.

"That's not what I meant – Argh, never mind. Forget I said anything," she gave up when the dumb Strawberry became a stone statue. Rukia moved to get up when –

"Wait!" Ichigo grabbed her wrist involuntarily, released from his momentarily stunned daze.

"I-It's fine," he stammered, scratching his head and flushing slightly.

"No, never mind," Rukia tried to yank her hand free, but he tightened his grip and lifted his chin up firmly.

"I said it's fine."

With a small gasp of surprise, the female soul reaper found herself snuggled next to the orange-haired Shinigami, her head resting on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I – Ichigo," she murmured, wrestling to move away, but failing as Ichigo held her steadily.

"Stop moving, Midget," he muttered, giving her a small smirk.

"…Fine. But only this once," she warned finally, relaxing in his embrace.

"Good night, Rukia," he kissed her forehead and she blushed hotly.

"Good night, Ichigo."

And for the first time in a long time, Rukia's dreams were free from fear and anxiety, filled with Ichigo's deep laughter and images of dancing Chappy.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! Personally, I think the idea of IchiRuki is sweet, and I wish

the manga had some romance rammed into it :P

No flames, please!

Hope you enjoyed XD

Please R&R! I'm always open to new suggestions (:

~IntertwinedRoses


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